Focus

It would seem the theme of this blog could be best characterized as "focus"; or better still lack of same.

Run. Do not Run. There is no try. (I am paraphrasing Yoda here but you get the idea). If I was Luke Skywalker the X Wing would definitely still be in the swamp. I managed an not so pretty three on Friday morning and made it out again today for a 4 miler. It is hot and cruddy here but I always feel good after beating the heat and finishing. The trouble is I could very well wake up tomorrow and bale on the workout with some excuse about getting to work early (or on time) etc.

The thing about focus is that you can't focus on everything at once. Everything cannot be important or else nothing is. And I have been working on some other stuff pretty hard lately. Work is one. Quality time with the wife. Reading a lot of books. All good stuff. However running and yoga go together for me and I think I am better when I am running than when I am not. It decompresses me, gives me time to think, and it is something I am proud to do. I like to compete even if it is only to finish.

So at the risk of sounding like a broken record I will regain focus (there is no try). I need to pick an event to work toward and probably need to return to my diet and workout log. Michelle asked about that the other day and was surprised I had stopped keeping the journal. That surprised me back so maybe I need to pick it up again.

At any rate you will know shortly after I do whether or not I succeed.

How could you not run in Salt Lake City?

So I travel A LOT for work. During said travel I see a lot of airports, rental cars, hotels, meeting spaces, restaurants, stop-pivot-reverse.

As unglamorous as it sounds (because it is not glamorous) there are occasional bright spots along the way. The greatest of which is usually the people I meet. This picture shows my West Region sales team at the dinner we hosted for them last Wednesday. Salt Lake City was beautiful, the weather was great, and while the food at this brew pub was less than hoped for the libations exceeded the diners expectations!

I really enjoyed every one's company and we talked about everything from grand kids to international business opportunities. My kind of dinner chat. So I guess this is a long way of saying that days that start at Oh Dark Thirty getting to the airport and ends with a dinner with colleagues doesn't always allow for getting a run in...even in a great training location like SLC, Utah. But, not to worry, I got back on the road this past weekend. More on that little adventure in my next posting.

Vector Analysis

Three days out from my Denver run and no roadwork. I am a little disappointed that I couldn't get out the door in the mornings to pick up at least 3 or 4 miles. But the truth is that the 12 hour days at the office, the intense heat and humidity, and the "stuff" that eats up my morning (yoga, dogs, surfing the web, some writing) get me to 6:30 or 7:00AM before I know it. In fact, as I write this it is 6:26 and I still need to grab a shower and dress for work.

OK so I admit this doesn't show much commitment to my running. That's what's so disappointing I guess. But, on the other hand, the things I am doing instead are pretty positive (maybe a little less web surfing). It almost seems that business travel offers fewer distractions than being at home in the morning. At this point in my life I have a pretty good sense of what my interests are (they are broad) and how I want to spend my time. The trick is to find balance between those two powerful vectors. At this point that challenge remains.

I will try and get on the road tomorrow (Saturday) when I have don't have to go into the office early. Maybe the best I can hope for is Sat/Sun/and one day TBD each week. That won't get me back to marathoning though and that's the goal. Need to find one more day.

So right now most of my week is spent looking for balance. I am the "resultant" of my two power vectors. My head is on the road but my butt is not. Time is a thief and life is a pageant.

Denver

Traveled to Denver on business this week and got a 3 miler in this morning. Urban running is a mixed bag for me. I love the scenery and the people but the "stop and go" is a real pain. I was expecting to feel the effects of the thinner air but I took it easy and it wasn't too bad at all. It didn't hurt that the weather was just about perfect; sunny and temps in the 70's with no humidity.

Ran in my Vibrams because they are so easy to pack. I thought there would be issues running on the paved surfaces. Fortunately Denver takes great care of its sidewalks and I had no problems. In fact it felt pretty good.

The only negative is that my back was a little sore from the hotel bed and I had to mind my gait until things loosened up. I wasn't able to yoga first as I was committed to some morning meetings.

As I write this I am looking out my 19th story hotel window at the snow capped Rockies. Maybe on my next trip out here I can arrange a run up there. I can only imagine right now what it would be like on the steep terrain and thin air. There are glaciers and right now is the beginning of the "melt" so it probably looks incredible. Michelle has inspired me to start bringing my camera on these trips again. I misplaced my charger so I don't have it for this one. Maybe in the future I will be able to include some pics of my runs.

Denver was great and I would enjoy a return.

Back to Houston this afternoon. Can't wait to get home!

Humidity

Hit the road around 8:30AM today and stretched to about 4 1/2 miles. The air was "close" which is to say brutally humid. My shirt was soaked in the first 10 minutes and it was pretty much a steady dehydrate from there. At the suggestion of a neighbor I changed up my route a little and headed out past several lakes in the community before heading for home on the nature trail.

Skipped the Yoga this morning but will get it in this afternoon. I have a short road trip up to Denver tomorrow early returning late Tuesday so Monday will be a "rest/recover day". I am hoping to get a little roadwork in Tuesday morning at altitude and see how it feels and am bringing my Vibrams so that will add to the "experience". I love wearing them but running comfort is very dependent on the road surface.

Weight was down to 155.4 today which is a recent low. Staying off the meat and alcohol but carb loaded today after only having a danish and some fruit yesterday.

YES!

I did manage to get out of the house this morning and 45 minutes later staggered back having run 4 miles in the tropical morning. The sun was bright and the air was close. I passed the last of the inbound Bridgeland Running Club as I headed out toward the nature trail. The mile through the woods on the gravel path was the easiest owing to the relief from the sun and the soft surface.

Today on the road I listened to a podcast of This American Life titled "Life After Death". It interviewed folks who were responsible for (though not "guilty of") causing the death of another and how they lived with that afterward. Like hitting a cyclist with your car but it wasn't your fault. It gave some insight into the baggage we all carry around. As we live our lives our interactions with others connect us to places and people we might never have imagined in our wildest dreams. Some of it is our direct action and some you chalk up to the law of unintended consequences. We all make good choices and bad. It's how we live with them after that demonstrates our character.

I am 44 and I have done and seen my share of right things and wrong things. There are some I would change or have done differently but in the end life has turned out alright. I have a wife and children who love me and who I love. I am challenged in my career. I finally am beginning to understand what is possible and not just what is necessary. Life seems limitless and yet I am more aware than ever that my clock is ticking. I am probably past the "half way" mark and there is so much I want to do.

Amazing what a 4 miler can get you thinking about when you haven't run in a while.

Is this just a "drop in"?

Well that job came through...and now we live in Houston. Cypress actually. Running has all but stopped but I have traveled half way around the world and now have more responsibility than I ever imagined I would at work.

Home life has gone through some major changes as a result of the relocation. Michelle and I are now on our own (with our two dogs) here in Texas while all our kids and grand kids (we have two new ones on the way that should arrive in December) are back in Maryland. Suffice it to say that we buy a lot of plane tickets for us AND them.

Life is very full and fulfilling but I miss the workouts and I especially miss the races. I ran a "Warrior Dash" a few months ago which was fun but more about the atmosphere than the race. I am in better health than I have been in a long time if not better shape. We have all but given up on meat and alcohol and sleep is more regular than ever.

This job is never routine but having adjusted to that over the last 8 months may mean I can take another stab at the roadwork. The weather is challenging and the time is difficult to find but I think I need this back in my life. We are just back from vacation in Maryland (Ocean City) and tomorrow is Saturday. Will I get up and go for a run?

We'll see.